


The Rock Facts Rock

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Series: Guardian 'Verse [4]
Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: And hes never going to btw, Beast!Wirt - Freeform, Gen, Greg is adorable, The rocks explained, Wirt doesn't know what is going on, like he always is, this is set before 'don't start unbelieving'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8485648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: The rock facts rock is extremely useful for talking to presumed dead siblings who are actually stuck in some sort of purgatory-esque landscape that is so bizarre even the author has no idea what it is.  And that's a rock fact!





	

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, I've decided that Greg is seven because when my youngest sister was seven, she was a carbon copy of Greg- complete with bizarre imaginary worlds and nonsensical phrases.

Greg stuck out his tongue in deep concentration as he painted a face on the rock. The rock was mimicking his expression except in a more crudely drawn form.

He finished the rock, put it aside and picked up another one. He kept painting rock after rock.

The breeze dried his rocks as he went dipping globules of white, blue, yellow, and red paint to form a silly face on the hard gray gravel.

Finally he fished and set the last rock aside. He carefully piled up the ones that were dry into a glass jar with a red ribbon around it. Jason Funderburker the frog poked his head into the jar curiously. He ribbited at Greg.

The small boy smiled, his nose scrunching up as he laughed.

Greg took the handle of a bright red wagon, stuck the jar and his frog into it, and then trotted merrily down the cracked cement sidewalk.

Curiously, he went into a desolate graveyard with crumbling mossy gravestones. He paid no mind to them, but if he'd paid closer attention he might've solved a whole troubling mystery. That mystery doesn't matter right now, however. What matters is that Greg climbed the wall while holding his jar and then jumped down the other side into soft heather.

He finished this strange daily journey when he came to the smooth glassy lake.

Greg knew this was where Wirt first disappeared and he was positive that this would work. The other side of him, the pessimistic one he didn't really like so much, said that it had only happened once and it might not happen again.

Greg thought about yesterday after school when it had happened.

* * *

 

_Greg sat by the lake holding his replica rock facts rock in his hand. Miss Jackson had had them paint rocks for school. Greg had very cheerfully done so until he realized his was indeed the rock facts rock. Thinking abut his rock facts rock made him think about the Unknown and Wirt. His mother and father said there was going to be some sort of funeral next Sunday. Which was silly, Wirt was just in the lake in the Unknown._

_He turned the rock over in his hands and looked at the water lapping at the shore._

_Maybe Greg would give Wirt the rock facts rock._

_The idea seemed to get better and better the more he thought about it. So Greg stood and with all the strength of his little seven year old body, he threw the rock as far as he could._

_It fell into the lake with a splash._

_Greg smiled, his job here was done. He turned to go, but then something asked hesitantly, "Greg?"_

_Greg looked up and he gave delighted shout of, "Wirt!"_

_His brother stood there, holding in his hands, a rock. Wirt was different somehow. For one, he was floating about an inch off of the lake, two he was faded and surrounded by a strange golden light, and three he had antlers exactly like the Beast._

_"Wirt... what?"_

_"Sorry, Greg, I can't leave the Unknown. Apparently, I have to guard it now."_

_Greg frowned, "Why are you all glowy though?"_

_Wirt frowned and looked at his arms, the sight of being surrounded in a pale golden light seemed to confuse him. Eventually, he did start and say, "Oh! I'm using the lantern to talk to you... I don't think I'm really here at all."_

_Greg stood at the edge of the lake, "Everybody thinks you're gone, Wirt, and I tried telling them that you weren't, but they won't believe me!"_

_Wirt smiled, "It's alright Greg, it doesn't matter if they don't know. I'm right here. Or at least, I think I am. I- I mean I guess not in the physical sense?"_

_Greg looked down at his toes and then back up, "Can I have a hug?"_

_Wirt looked around, "Sure Greg. As long as you don't tell anyone. Though, I don't think I'm actually here... This is all very complicated." Wirt murmured nervously to himself as he came closer, "I- I have no idea what I'm doing."_

_Greg hugged him, and for whatever reason, he could touch his brother. The little boy held on, his small fingers tightly gripping his brother's blue coat._

* * *

 

Greg shook his head out of his thoughts and looked around. There was no use wondering. Always try first! Besides you could do anything if you set your mind to it! Greg ignored the memories of cold snow, golden combs, and silver spiderwebs that rose up at the reassuring phrase.

He was going to make new memories of that phrase and he was gonna make them happy!

The rock splashed into the lake, and Wirt appeared. Greg smiled, as his eyes filled with tears. Wirt really was here. His brother hugged him and Greg found that he was more than content.

Later, when he rounded the corner with his wagon after giving Wirt his jar of rocks, he didn't notice Sara reading a book on a bench by the graveyard. She looked at him curiously as he passed and she wondered what he was up too.


End file.
